Lynn students celebrate Arbor Day

LYNN – Students at the Lincoln-Thomson School may not have known it was Arbor Day Friday but they celebrated nonetheless by helping Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy plant a tree.”We try to celebrate Arbor Day every year,” Kennedy said. “And the best way to celebrate is to plant a tree.”The first Arbor Day was celebrated April 10, 1872 and since then has generally been a day that individuals or groups are encouraged to plant or care for trees.”We celebrate every year by planting a tree, typically at a different school,” said Community Development’s John Moberger.Last year the Arbor Day celebration was at Gowdy Park and the year before Sewell-Anderson, said Superintendent Catherine Latham.Students out for recess lined up along the wrought iron fence that separates the schoolyard from the street to watch as a group of chosen students took turns shoveling dirt around a thundercloud plum tree.”These are our top math students in the school from our First in Math program,” said Principal Helen Miho. “I thought they needed a little reward for doing so well.”Latham said First in Math is a math program being piloted in the Lincoln-Thomson school.”Next year to will go out to all the K-8 schools,” she said. “We love this program.”Two trees total were planted on either end of a long swath of garden that runs between the wrought iron fence and the street. The area is dotted with shrubs and a bed of pansies surround the flagpole.”This is such a beautiful area,” Latham said. “Honestly, it was here for the longest time before I realized but this is the bigger street.”The garden is on the backside of the school fronting Myrtle Street.Lynn Woods Ranger Dan Small was also on hand for the event. He told the kids they were planting an ornamental plum tree that wouldn’t actually have any fruit.”But it has pink flowers and purple leaves,” he said. “Even in the fall the leaves will still be purple.”He also told the kids that trees helped protect the world from Global Warming.”They suck up the extra carbon, which helps us with our environment,” he said. “Arbor Day is a great celebration, one where we show how much we love trees.”Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].